In an effort to retain the best people out in the field, Castle Rock Fire and Police will be raising the pay of some of their employees. This important decision was made in conjunction with the Town, after a recent study revealed that some departmental positions weren’t receiving competitive compensation for their work. “Pay often powers performance,” said Fire Chief Art Morales.
At the start of the year, Deputy Town Manager, Fritz Sprague and Sue Morgan, Town Human Resources Manager, presented a Public Safety Equity Adjustments and Compensation analysis to council. This study pulled market data from across the Front Range based on things like position, length of time, and current pay for fire and police employees. “This was in response to department feedback from places like Aurora and surrounding areas. We used a benchmark system to compare whether certain (fire and police) employees were being paid enough,” said Sprague.
As a result, falling behind, was making it difficult to keep good, well-trained people in key public safety positions like Firefighter EMTs and Police Officers. “We don’t want to lose them in 3 or 4 years because they can get paid more going somewhere else,” Police Chief Jack Cauley noted. They understand that along with the importance of creating a bond between co-workers, in turn, that also gives the public a sense of safety when they see the same faces of responders.
Cauley knows the worth of having resident’s trust. “A lot of kudos goes out to the community because they are our eyes and ears. Keeping Castle Rock safe is a collected effort.” And clearly that understanding of teamwork is paying off. Our Town has recently been put at the top of many lists as a much desirable place to live, because it is safe.
So those employees of the Police and Fire Department, in positions that have been selected, are currently in the process of being evaluated, to bring their pay plan up to par. “We will look at things like: ‘how’ are they are meeting their job description? How does their performance fall in line with the Town’s values of excellence, dedication and service?” Fire Chief Art Morales states.
With noted support of fellow town employees in other sectors, they know they are on the right track. “It’s a team effort. Other employees of the town support this and see that it’s only fair,” Cauley said. Along with that, the Chiefs also know the importance of maintaining the sense community in Castle Rock. Cauley continued, “We try to treat everyone as family. Having empathy is important.” And that caring attitude seems to working just fine for us-
